The early consensus from Rotten Tomatoes reads, "The Twilight Saga's second installment may satisfy hardcore fans of the series, but outsiders are likely to be turned off by its slow pace, relentlessly downcast tone, and excessive length."

The first reviews are in line with the critics' first takes.

Rogert Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times offered, "Since they know it all and we know all, sitting through this experience is like driving a pickup in low gear though a sullen sea of Brylcreem."

Claudia Puig of USA Today added, "New Moon, the film version, does nothing to add depth to a shallow tale."

Not all are down on the film.

Laremy Legel of Film.com admits New Moon has some flaws, but overall calls it "a treat, a legitimate artistic expression on love, loss, and the obsessive qualities of initial attraction."

And Kurt Loder of MTV writes, "'New Moon' is a notable improvement over 'Twilight,'" noting there's "not quite so much moony young-adult yearning (although Lord knows there's enough of it); and there's a little more action."